Hello Beautiful
by kaelaa
Summary: Then there is the other sort of couple. The two people that were perfect for each other in every single way yet for some unfathomable reason just never got together. That dubious honour went to Eriol and Tomoyo and this is their story. ExT.
1. And So It Begins

IMPORTANT NOTE  
Hello readers, I thought I should give you some sort of warning that this is not going to be one of those ExT fluff fic, and one without your average happy ending. Although I wouldn't exactly put it like that. Then again, I realise I have a rather twisted notion of happy endings. Hmm. Oh wells, you'll be glad to know that I am actually more or less done with the story. I just need time to type and edit it so rest assured, this will be completed!  
Thanks for reading, and any sort of criticisms will be taken seriously and appreciated.

DISCLAIMER: No, I do not own CCS because if I did Eriol and Tomoyo would have totally ended up together. Sighh.

XXX

There is one in every school. The golden boy and girl, the one couple that you would look forward to seeing again at the high school reunion, just to check if they were still together and then promptly chide yourself mentally for even thinking that because _'Of course they are still together! They are the epitome of love and happiness are they not?' _For Seijou High, that was Li Syaoran and Sakura Kinomoto.

Then there is the other sort of couple. The two people that were perfect for each other in every single way yet for some strange and unfathomable reason just never ever get together. _'You mean they're still only just friends?' _That dubious honour went to Eriol Hiiragizawaand Tomoyo Daidouji. And this is their story.

XXX

Li Syaoran was in a grumpy mood (even more so than usual) as he walked out of his apartment complex. Despite having already lived in Japan for close to 7 years, he was still unaccustomed to its cold and unforgiving winter. It seemed to Syaoran that the little town of Tomoeda received 5 inches of snowfall overnight. He scowled at nothing in particular and grumbled as he wound his favourite green muffler tighter around his neck, allowing his mind to wander to that evening Sakura presented him with said muffler as a thank you gift for that fateful day in Penguin Park. A smile slowly spread across his face and he felt himself warm up ever so slightly from the memory. Looking ahead, his smile quickly turned into a scowl again as he spied a senior from school talking to a raven haired beauty. His steps slowed a little for he had little wish to hear the compliments he was certain the guy was spewing and the confession of love that was sure to follow. The beauty gave a little bow, as she always did, polite to a fault and Syaoran watched as the guy walked dejectedly away from a very apologetic looking Tomoyo. She turned and spotted him, eyes twinkling in greeting. He gave a little wave in return and jogged up to meet her.

"Ohayo Syaoran-kun!"

"Another admirer Tomoyo?"

She blushed slightly and nodded, "I feel a little bad though. He was very sincere."

Syaoran snorted, "Please, you think the best of everyone. He looked pretty shady to me."

Tomoyo pouted in mock annoyance, "Mou Syaoran-kun, don't be mean. You say that about every single guy who tries to talk to me. You're going to turn into a Touya if you're not careful!"

She had expected him to protest vehemently about the comparison so was a little surprised when all he did was scruff his feet against the pavement and mutter, "Well, none of them were good enough for you."

Tomoyo let out a graceful laugh and beckoned for Syaoran to follow her, "Come on, we're going to be late!"

Syaoran rolled his eyes and reminded her, "We're never late. In fact, we are almost always the earliest on Wednesdays."

Syaoran was right. Tomoyo and Syaoran were usually the first in class on Wednesdays. Since Sakura had cheer practice on Wednesday mornings, the both of them didn't have to make a detour to meet her on their way to school. As much as Tomoyo enjoyed spending time with both Sakura and Syaoran, she found she enjoyed her Wednesday mornings alone with Syaoran very much. Being an only child, Tomoyo was actually secretly pleased with the way Syaoran hovered around her with his overprotective brother act.

Ever since Syaoran moved back to Japan and to Sakura, Tomoyo's feelings for her best friend had changed quite substantially. She was sure she felt nothing more than familiar sisterly love for Sakura now and was pleasantly surprised her relationship with Syaoran had improved quite greatly. Tomoyo likened it to warm sibling affection. Of course, there was no way she was telling Syaoran that, not because she was embarrassed but because she knew that despite growing up in a household of females, Syaoran was still not comfortable with sharing feelings. She wondered again why Syaoran and Touya never got along better.

XXX

Sakura was running late. Nothing unusual there, but as she waved goodbye to the rest of the cheer team and tried to navigate the crowded hallways to her homeroom, she couldn't help but overhear the conversation in front of her.

"How did the talk with Daidouji go this morning?"

"Not great, although she did the whole rejection thing most politely and painlessly, then made some excuse about meeting Li."

"Li Syaoran? Man, Kinomoto _and _Daidouji? What is it with Japanese girls and foreign men?"

"No no, they're just friends. We all know how tight Kinomoto and Li are. Although since Kinomoto and Daidouji are practically sisters, Li is like the brother by proxy to Daidouji. And trust me, he's got the whole intimidating suitors thing down to a pat."

Sakura laughed as she slid into class, just seconds before the bell rang, receiving a disapproving look from her sensei in the process. She bowed in apology and skipped her way to her seat in front of Syaoran.

Tomoyo arched her eyebrow from her table next to Sakura and asked, "What's so funny Sakura-chan?"

Sakura shook her head, "Nothing, just thinking about you and Syaoran!"

She continued to smile widely as she took out her books. Tomoyo and Syaoran shared a look before Syaoran shrugged and passed Sakura her bento he had made that morning. They loved Sakura dearly and knew better than to question her random 'more cheerful than normal' moods. She was after all the descendant of the weirdest and most eccentric magician of all time.

XXX

"That's the last of it!"

Eriol nodded and patted Nakuru's head in thanks as he surveyed his new room, presently littered with cardboard boxes. He was now taller than her and so patting her head wasn't as awkward as it had been when he was still in his 11 year old body.

"I don't know why you have to pat her head, she's not a child." Spinel remarked from his perch on the window sill.

Eriol chuckled as he cleaned his glasses with his shirt, "She likes it!"

"I do!" Nakuru's voice floated back to them from the next room she was unpacking in and a few seconds later, bounded back into the master bedroom and announced as she glomped Eriol, "I'm so happy we're back in Japan! I missed Touya so much!"

Eriol sighed as he turned from side to side, trying to shake his guardian off his back, "I only wish I could say the same for Kinomoto-san."

"Don't be silly Eriol-sama, of course Touya misses me! Let's go visit them now!"

Eriol smiled softly, "We'll visit tomorrow I promise, but right now we have to settle the house and get some rest."

Nakuru dislodged herself reluctantly from Eriol's back, "Alright then, tomorrow." Her momentary disappointment forgotten as she grabbed Spinel and skipped out of the room screaming something about stocking the kitchen pantry with sugar.

Eriol flopped back onto his bed and sighed once he couldn't hear Spinel's cries for Ruby Moon to let him go. He wondered briefly to himself if leaving England had been the right thing to do as the image of a honey coloured hair lady flashed through his mind. She had greeted him with a wistful smile that morning, as if she had anticipated his decision to leave. _'I hope you find what you're looking for in Japan Eriol.' _With her parting words still ringing in his head, he drifted off to sleep.

XXX

The next day, Tomoyo stepped into the classroom and found it to be buzzing with excitement. She turned behind her, meaning to ask her friends if she had forgotten something but both Sakura and Syaoran looked equally puzzled from the change in atmosphere of the classroom. It was a Thursday morning wasn't it? Thursday mornings were normally dreary because history was their first lesson of the day.

"Hey guys!" Chiharu waved at them as the trio made their way towards their seats, "Guess what, Takashi heard that our class is getting a new student!"

"And," Naoko added from her seat, "the girls from 3B caught a glimpse of him in the school office this morning and said he was gorgeous!"

Syaoran grunted and pulled out his history homework. He sensed that he would have no interest in this conversation whatsoever.

"Oh, a new classmate!" Sakura clapped her hands in excitement, "Maybe he can be Tomoyo-chan's boyfriend!"

Tomoyo flushed, "Sakura-chan, what are you talking about?"

"Syaoran has just about vetoed every boy in school Tomoyo!" Sakura replied, sending a dirty look over her shoulder.

"Damn right I have!" Syaoran said from behind his history homework.

"So," Sakura continued, "we're in need of fresh meat!"

"Sakura!" Tomoyo gasped, slightly scandalised from her dear cousin's choice of words.

"Nope, I'm vetoing new guy too." Syaoran said, pointedly ignoring Sakura's fresh meat comment.

"But Syaoran! That's not fair, you haven't even met the guy!" Sakura protested but was unable to continue as their sensei entered the classroom.

"Good morning class, I'm assuming you all would have heard by now about our new student. I'm sure you will be able to imagine how daunting it must be to arrive in the middle of the semester, so I want everyone to be extra welcoming! (Here, he shot a pointed look at Li Syaoran)" He turned towards the door and waved the new student in, "Everyone, please welcome from England, Eriol Hiiragizawa."

_THUMP._

("Syaoran!") Li Syaoran had fallen off his chair.

"Hello everyone," The young man in the front of class greeted in his trademark baritone pitch, which elicited some sighs from the female portion of the classroom.

("THIS IS JUST A BAD DREAM!")

Eriol chuckled, "And it's nice to see you again too Syaoran." As his gaze swept across the classroom, he recognised with pleasure several familiar faces from his days in Tomoeda Elementary, registered a waving Sakura and abruptly stopped on the girl next to his protégé. Tomoyo Daidouji was smiling shyly at him and he found himself smiling right back. _It has been too long._

XXX

_He is sitting in his favourite arm chair by the fireplace. He notices that although the fireplace is crackling happily, the room still feels cold and empty. Then he hears someone walking outside along the corridors, and he feels his breath hitch. The door creaks open and she walks hesitantly into the room._

_He smiles. Finally._

"_Hello beautiful, welcome home."_

_And she smiles right back at him. Suddenly the room feels so warm. _


	2. And Sakura has a Plan

To everyone who reviewed, thank you so much. I really appreciated them. :) Please, feel free to do so again. Anyway, I wonder if you've realised my dual usage of Nakuru and Ruby Moon. The distinction is made on purpose, since everyone knows her/he as Nakuru, I've taken to using that name in my stories while only Eriol and Spinel would use Ruby Moon since to them, that is her/his/? true form. Just thought I'll explain in case anyone gets confused.

XXX

_He watches as she plays the piano, listening intently to every note. He stumbles over to her and she catches him, laughing. He remembers the laugh, it is tinkling and the sweetest sound he has ever heard._

"_Hello beautiful."_

"_Hello yourself." _

_She smiles at him, and he wonders how anyone can feel so many emotions at once. Longing, love, happiness, he was sure he would burst. He nuzzles her neck fondly, and hears her sigh into his hair. _

"_Don't go."_

_He looks up, puzzled. _

"_I'm not going anywhere."_

Eriol woke up with a start. Sighing, he took a deep breath. Dreams like the one he just had have been plaguing him recently. They all featured the same girl, yet he found he could never remember what she looked like. He remembered everything else though. Her laugh, her touch, her smile. But not her face. Most people would dismiss dreams as simply nightly manifestations of an overworked mind in the day, but Eriol was the reincarnation of the most powerful wizard of all time so he knew better. His near obsession with finding out the meaning behind his dreams had created a rift in the relationship he had with Kaho. She dismissed his theories of memories of Clow and a lost love and begged him to just forget about the dreams, and concentrate on them. They were real, dreams she maintained, were not. Eriol knew better. Eriol knew his dreams were different.

His guardians had sensed the tension in the mansion they shared in England, so they suggested a change of scenery. Their intention had been for a short holiday, to clear their minds, but for some reason, Eriol saw the need to transplant his little family halfway across the world, back to the little town of Tomoeda for an indefinite period of time. That was what he told Kaho anyway. She had smiled wistfully and nodded. He knew she wasn't going to come with him and she knew he didn't expect her to kick up a fuss. Kaho was not one for theatrics. She kissed him goodbye and wished him luck. Eriol knew he was not going to forget the look in her eyes as she watched the removal van turn round the corner from their mansion any time soon.

A huge crash in the room next to his jolted Eriol from his reverie.

"Oops, sorry!" Nakuru's voice reverberated across the house, "I'll fix it!"

Eriol shook his head and proceeded to get ready for school. His uniform was laid out on the chair (probably Spinel's doing because he couldn't imagine Ruby Moon doing anything like that) and as he changed, he recalled the reactions of his classmates from his first day at school. Sakura was as usual, very genki and genuinely happy to see him there, although she did pretend to be hurt later on that he never told her he was coming. For a moment, he feared for his life as Syaoran sent a death glare his way for daring to cause Sakura some sort of pain. Otherwise, his descendant pointedly ignored his presence, as if believing that he really wasn't there at all. Takashi had been extremely delighted to see him and gushed about the stories they were going to tell. Chiharu had promptly put a dent in that plan with her mallet, but he was glad to see some things hadn't change. He was pleasantly surprise to hear of Rika's engagement to Terada-sensei and pleased that Naoko remembered him and his stories, of which many she said inspired some of her own.

Then there was Tomoyo. She had been something else altogether. He remembered her shy greeting as he walked to sit behind her. How she smiled so warmly at him during lunch and implored Syaoran to try to be more friendly. He was a little surprised when Syaoran actually made some sort of effort for her sake, and stopped calling him names. Obviously, their relationship had undergone quite a transformation and he realised suddenly that he was feeling a little jealous. Odd.

XXX

Tomoyo walked towards her locker, grateful the choir teacher finally let her off after a harrowing practice with the scales. She understood that the choral competition was coming up soon, but did she really have to get up early every day to practice? She was starting to miss her daily walks to school with her friends. Then she spied Eriol trying to open his locker, which was conveniently located next to hers, and feeling mischievous (which any one would know, was not often, unless you were Sakura and Syaoran and knew her to be the plotting, video recording, obsessive stalker that she is), she attempted to sneak up behind Eriol to give him a little scare. Obviously, she forgot he was the reincarnation of Clow and therefore had eyes on the back of his head.

"Ohayo Daidouji-san."

She huffed, and placed her hands on her hips, "Really Hiiragizawa-kun, can't you indulge me just once?"

He laughed and turned around, "Sorry dear Daidouji-san, I can't help myself."

She moved towards her locker and looked casually over as he attempted to open his locker another time. "Is it jammed again?"

He nodded, "It appears so, but no matter, I'll fix it in a jiffy." Looking around and satisfied he wouldn't be discovered, he pointed at his locker and the door burst open with a loud bang.

As usual, Eriol's locker had been filled with all manners of gifts and love notes and they all came tumbling out. Tomoyo let out a tinkling laugh which Eriol thought sounded familiar, but his train of thought was interrupted with the arrival of Sakura and Syaoran.

"Wow Eriol-kun! You're even more popular than Syaoran!" Sakura exclaimed, eyeing his letters and mountains of chocolates.

Syaoran grumbled and attempted to look past Eriol, because really, there was no such person called Eriol Hiiragizawa and he was certainly not studying at Seijou or breathing the same air he was.

Eriol smiled good-naturedly, "Only because the entire school knows the both of you are dating. So I'm afraid their attentions have been diverted. I expect that once a new student comes along, I won't have to unjam my locker every morning." As he said so, he picked up a few boxes of chocolates and gave them to Sakura, "For Cerberus, Ruby Moon and Spinel have had too much."

Sakura's face lit up with delight and she thanked Eriol profusely, she then turned to Tomoyo, "How was practice today? Syaoran and I miss you!" She then added a few sniffles for effect.

Tomoyo giggled, "It was totally boring! Sensei kept making me run scales and I had to get up so early! I miss the both of you two!" She then attempted to encircle Sakura and Syaoran in a huge group hug but Syaoran pointedly stepped away. "Mou Syaoran-kun, don't be mean!"

Syaoran snorted, "Please Tomoyo, you know I don't enjoy public displays of affection."

Eriol raised an eyebrow, Syaoran was not normally witty and he felt that unfamiliar twinge again as he witnessed the three friends banter to and fro. Soon the bell rang and Sakura dragged Syaoran towards the homeroom, determined to get there before their sensei this time. Eriol then turned towards Tomoyo, and offered the rest of his chocolate but she just shook her head prettily and smiled in that way that made his breath hitch. She breezed past him and when she realised he wasn't following, turned around to give him an inquiring look. He smiled in return and quickly dumped the notes and chocolates back into his locker before following her to their homeroom.

"Say Daidouji-san, what is this about running scales and morning practice?" Eriol asked once they were seated in class.

"Oh, there's a choral competition next week and Sensei insists that I practice every day till then. He wants me to practice with the piano, but when I get there he spends so much time on warming up that I hardly have any time to sing my piece properly." Tomoyo explained, as she pulled out her sheet music and handed it to Eriol.

Eriol recognised the familiar melody, "It's a beautiful piece, mind if I accompany you on the piano during your practice?"

"Oh of course not Hiiragizawa-kun! I'll be delighted! I don't play very well and I can't possibly keep asking Sensei to play for me. Will you be free after class today?" Tomoyo enquired.

"I'll always be free for you Daidouji-san." Eriol replied, causing Tomoyo to blush a pretty shade of pink, which she tried to hide with her hair as she turned to talk to Sakura.

This exchange was watched with interest by Syaoran. Eriol then happened to turn and catch his eye. Syaoran gave him a death glare and attempted to convey the amount of pain he would inflict upon Eriol's body should he try anything dishonourable with his dear friend. Either Syaoran wasn't good at non-verbal communication or Eriol was just rather thick, because the latter simply smiled cheerfully and gave the former a thumbs up, for kami-sama knows what reason.

XXX

"So guys, any thoughts on Hiiragizawa-kun?" Naoko asked as she opened her bento.

Syaoran promptly spat out his lunch, "Do we really have to talk about him?"

"Syaoran-kun! Be nice!" Sakura admonished.

Chiharu smiled, "Well, I guess since Takashi and Hiiragizawa-kun are presently busy polluting some poor junior's mind with rubbish," she eyed said boys from across the field, "we have some space to discuss Hiiragizawa-kun's sudden arrival here!"

"Wasn't he with Mizuki-sensei?" Rika voiced out, nibbling delicately on her onigiri.

"I bet she left him because she felt their age gap was too wide, and nursing a broken heart, he came back to Tomoeda, where they first met, to lick his wounds." Naoko theorised, her glasses glinting in the sunlight, no doubt already thinking about how this could inspire her next novel.

Rika nodded sympathetically, "It does take a bit of work to maintain a relationship like that, I would know."

Syaoran wanted to point out that Eriol hadn't met Mizuki-sensei in Tomoeda but realised there was no point really. Sakura turned to Tomoyo, "What do you think Tomoyo-chan? You've been awfully quiet!"

Tomoyo quickly turned away from watching Eriol and Takashi and nodded, "Actually, I do agree with Naoko-san's assessment." Unbeknown to her, Sakura was forming an assessment of her own.

"Well, either way, I hope he stays and forgets whatever bad memories he's had," Chiharu said as the two boys returned to their friends, having had enough fun confusing gullible first year students.

Takashi plopped down next to Chiharu and asked, "So what have you guys been talking about?"

"Oh, nothing in particular." Naoko answered for the rest of them.

Chiharu was too busy trying to protect her lunch from Takashi, Rika was contemplating her relationship with Terada-sensei, Tomoyo was frowning over her sheet music, Sakura was preoccupied with her secret plan and Syaoran was watching Eriol watch Tomoyo. He knew what it was like to pine for someone (at this point, he blushed fiercely as his gaze lingered on Sakura), and Eriol was sure as hell not looking like he was pining for Kaho Mizuki at the moment.

XXX

As the last note faded away to nothing, Tomoyo smiled, "That was wonderful Hiiragizawa-kun, you play wonderfully! Just like before."

Eriol smiled and returned the compliment, "And you still sing like an angel."

Tomoyo blushed again, she realised she did that a lot around Eriol. He patted the seat next to him and asked, "Why not come and try a duet Daidouji-san?"

"Oh no," Tomoyo shook her head in a hurry, "I play very poorly Hiiragizawa-kun, I would much rather hear you play another piece."

Eriol snorted, "I'm afraid Daidouji-san, nothing in the world would prevail upon me to believe you do anything poorly."

"Well, alright, but you will have to promise not to laugh." Tomoyo said as she moved towards the bench and sat down gingerly next to Eriol. Taking a deep breath, she started playing her favourite tune, and Eriol was suddenly struck by the similarity of her and the girl in his dream. Even the music sounded familiar and he couldn't help but hum along.

"You know this piece Hiiragizawa-kun?" Tomoyo asked, surprised, though she never stopped playing.

"I heard it in my dream," came his honest reply.

Tomoyo was unsure if he was just being his poetic self or if he was telling the truth. She chose not to comment further and concentrated on finishing the piece. As she played the last note, Eriol turned to her and said in all seriousness, "I do believe that was the furthest one can get from playing poorly."

Tomoyo let out a tinkling laugh, and Eriol remembered how the girl in his dream laughed too. "Would you play the piano for me more often Daidouji-san?"

She smiled at him, "But of course Hiiragizawa-kun, only if you stop being so formal with me though. Please, call me Tomoyo."

He smiled in return, "And my name is Eriol. Pleased to make your acquaintance, my lady." Saying so, he took her hand and kissed it quite gallantly, earning himself yet another pretty blush.

Outside the music room, Sakura had to pounce on Syaoran to restrain him from barging into the room and giving Eriol a piece of his mind. "Oh can't you see Syaoran? They're made for each other!"

Syaoran mumbled something incoherent, as he rolled up his sleeves and mentally rifled through the places in Tomoeda he could kill someone without being noticed. Sakura was still hanging onto his neck so he got momentarily distracted when she looked up at him with those big eyes of hers and said, "Let's get them together!"

"WHAT??"

Inside the music room, Syaoran's noise of disbelief caused Tomoyo and Eriol to jump apart and proceed to look everywhere but at each other.

XXX

Did anyone realise I read Pride and Prejudice one too many times before writing this chapter? I couldn't help myself, Eriol and Tomoyo's conversation in the music room suddenly turned into a little tribute to Jane Austen's masterpiece. Anyway, a review would be much appreciated, love!


	3. And Syaoran gets Violent

Dear readers, thanks for the reviews for the previous chapter! Admittedly not as enthusiastic as the first chapter, but I take what I get. (: Love to everyone who reviewed!

XXX

A group of first years congregated at the bench opposite the field. They watch as one of their friends returned to them, visibly shaken from his ordeal.

"So, how did it go?" They all asked him together.

"She said no, but very nicely." He replied, and they noticed he still clutched his letter.

They all gave him a few pats on the back, voicing their admiration because none of them would approach the most beautiful girl in school like that. One, because she was rich and beautiful and generally these sort of girls were intimidating. Two, because said girl had an extremely protective friend skilled in the martial arts and would not hesitate to incapacitate any one he deemed unworthy of her affections (which obviously was every male in school). And three, unless you were blind and deaf, you would know that _he_ was the only one she would even consider.

The 'he' in question was presently lounging by the school gates and the entire group looked over at him. Eriol Hiiragizawa was tall, gentlemanly, intelligent and foreign (which seemed to attract quite a huge proportion of the female population in school). It didn't hurt that he was incredibly good looking and adept at playing the piano. He was, in short, perfect, and therefore the only person worthy of the most beautiful girl in school. Even Li Syaoran seemed to accept him hanging around Tomoyo Daidouji.

"Hey, isn't that Keiko from our class?" One of them pointed out the girl who was presently walking towards Eriol with a letter and a little present. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was about to unfold.

Even from a distance, Eriol struck a very gentlemanly countenance, bowing slightly to accept her letter but apologetically declining her present, because he was afraid he did not think of her in that way. She shook her head, and expressed that she just wanted to let him know of her feelings, and was not expecting any reciprocation. She walked away quickly, breathing a sigh of relief, to her group of friends that were trying to remain inconspicuous next to the vending machines. They too, giggled and congratulated her on her courage.

Both groups then watched as Tomoyo emerged from the school building and walked towards Eriol, whose face visibly lit up when he saw her approaching. Taking the books she carried under her arm and ignoring her protests, the couple then walked home together in a very familiar fashion, leaving both groups of first years to think unanimously.

_Of course, what were we thinking?_

XXX

"So Eriol-kun, tell me everything about England." Tomoyo said as she licked her ice cream cone on the way home.

Eriol licked his own cone and frowned slightly, "Dear Tomoyo, I am sure I have told you everything I can about England. I'm afraid you are more English than myself now."

Tomoyo laughed, "Oh alright, I shall not trick you into telling me about Mizuki-sensei." She looked down onto the pavements, industriously avoiding the cracks. Someone once told her it had something to do with good luck, although that person could have been Yamazaki-kun and then she wondered whether it could possibly be worth her effort.

Eriol chuckled to himself, "Why Tomoyo, I have to say you are incredibly forward." And he proceeded to step on all the cracks he could find on the pavement because he liked annoying her like that.

Noticing what he was trying to do, she pounted cutely and looked back up him, "Oh come on Eriol-kun, surely you mustn't be deaf? You must have heard those rumours about you and Mizuki-sensei floating around school? I'm just trying to be a good friend and ascertain whether you are heartbroken or not." Tomoyo actually was pretty sure he was, just covering it up very well, and she wondered if she had overstepped her boundaries a bit here.

"Well, the only rumours I have heard so far are ones that state in no uncertain manner that we are currently dating." He replied, studiously avoiding her question. He wasn't sure how he felt about Kaho right now. He had loved her yes, but leaving had been his idea and although on some days he missed her terribly and wondered why he even left in the first place, he found them to be few and far between the more time he spent with Tomoyo.

Tomoyo rolled her eyes in a rare display of unladylike behaviour, "Well, I've also heard that you had to duel Syaoran before you had his permission to date me and one about us having illicit trysts in the music room and just yesterday I heard a new one about us secretly running the school together."

"Hmm, illicit trysts in the music room…" Eriol mumbled in mock concentration. Tomoyo proceeded to cuff him in the back of his head.

"Tomoyo!" Eriol exclaimed, rubbing his sore spot, "Imagine what people would say if they saw you hitting your boyfriend! Scandal really!"

Tomoyo smiled back at him, "Syaoran said that I should not hesitate to physically abuse anyone who defiles my honour. And those were his exact words."

"Yes, sometimes I wonder if he gets his lines out of old Chinese movies." Eriol muttered.

"Funny, he says the same thing about you! Only he thinks you get them out of Jane Austen novels." Tomoyo wondered, "Why don't you two get along better?"

"That should really be directed at Syaoran, you know I'm perfectly civil to him!" Eriol pretended to look hurt then straightened up again, "And anyway, I wouldn't worry, Syaoran is actually secretly very happy I'm back."

"It must be secretly buried very, very deep down then."

Eriol didn't have a chance to retort because they had reached Tomoyo's mansion and she proceeded to retrieve her books from under Eriol's arm. The momentary physical contact actually rendered him speechless and by the time he came to his senses, she had already thanked him for the ice cream and was well on her way towards her main door. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind and continued down the road towards his own house, hoping that Ruby Moon and Spinel were in one of their usual squabbles so that he could be distracted enough not to have to think about Tomoyo Daidouji for the rest of the evening.

Little did he know that Tomoyo was thinking along the same lines as she climbed up the stairs to her room. Only, she did not have two guardians that were constantly quarrelling so she had to rely on watching and re-watching, editing and re-editing the tapes she had recorded of Sakura and Syaoran. She knew that thinking about Eriol was not going to do her any good, especially when he was still very much in love with Kaho, judging from his reluctance to talk about her. Obviously, it was something he did not wish to discuss because it still hurt. Sighing, she paused and rewound the tape again.

XXX

_He is in a garden, or a park. He doesn't quite recognise the place. He recognises her though, sitting prettily under the tree, seemingly absorbed in her sketch book._

"_Hello beautiful, what are you doing?"_

_She smiles up at him and tilts her sketch book toward him, and he sees a drawing of the two of them eating ice cream cones. He laughs. _

"_It's very pretty."_

"_I know."_

_He wonders if they're still talking about the same thing because suddenly she is looking at him and smiling a soft sad smile, as if she knew something he didn't. _

Eriol jolted awake as usual. He was certain this time, the feeling was a lot more concrete, the girl in his dreams was most definitely Tomoyo. He still couldn't remember her face, but he saw the sketch in her book, and he remembered it being of Tomoyo and him walking home together from school, each with an ice cream cone. If the girl was really Tomoyo, then the dreams couldn't possibly be about Clow and lost love. Were they foreshadowing his future relationship with Tomoyo? If they were, then why did he have such an ominous feeling every time he woke up?

Eriol sighed in frustration. Sometimes he wished he wasn't a reincarnation of Clow. Then perhaps he wouldn't receive such strange visions all the time and didn't have to waste time and energy trying to deduce their hidden meanings. He reached for his pocket watch next to his bed and saw that there was only an hour till sunrise. Well then, there probably was no point trying to fall back into a restless sleep. So, he got out of bed and pondered the ingredients in the pantry. Yes, they probably had enough for a few dozen pancakes and possibly a chocolate cake if he could dig out the cake pan. He hoped Ruby Moon woke up with an appetite and that Spinel would forgive him.

XXX

"Hiiragizawa!"

Eriol turned and had half a mind to run far, far away but unfortunately, or fortunately his dignity prevented him from doing so and he merely faced Syaoran with an expression of polite surprise.

"Why if it isn't my favourite Li in the whole world! To what may I owe this pleasure?"

"You!" Syaoran almost growled as he neared Eriol and pointed his index finger at his chest.

"Yes, me!" Eriol replied jovially, hoping to lighten the mood.

It didn't work.

Syaoran backed Eriol up against a vending machine near a secluded spot beside the school gym. Eriol wondered to himself how he still managed to find himself in an area devoid of people when he had been taking pains to avoid quiet secluded places like the one he was presently in. It wasn't because he was afraid of Li Syaoran. Perish the thought! He just thought that it would be better for everyone to speak nicely and kindly to each other and in the case of Li Syaoran, such a situation was only possible when they were in the presence of people, or more specifically Sakura and Tomoyo.

"You will treat Tomoyo right." There was no question behind his words. It was an order, to put it plainly.

Eriol nodded. "You know I will."

"No, I don't. But I'll be watching you Hiiragizawa. And I _will_ know the moment something is not right, make no mistake about that." Syaoran menaced, his face mere inches from Eriol's glasses.

Eriol didn't back down. He had this weird feeling that this was some sort of twisted test Syaoran thought was necessary to ascertain his worthiness. "Tomoyo is a very dear friend, and I will never think about hurting her in the slightest." Eriol's voice lost its joking tone and he spoke straight from his heart.

A few tense moments passed between the two boys. Slowly, Syaoran backed away, seemingly satisfied with this response from Eriol. "She is very special Hiiragizawa, and in my opinion way too good for you. But since she seems to be happy when you're around, I'll put up with it for her sake. I suppose you deserve some normalcy in your life too. Keep her safe you hear?"

Eriol nodded, his eyes still fixed on Syaoran's. When Syaoran turned to walk away, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and chuckled to himself. Well, if this was the way Syaoran intimidated Tomoyo's would be suitors, he was surprised Tomoyo still received the attention she did from the male population in school.

Later he was to discover from Sakura that Syaoran never saw it necessary to physically intimidate suitors from Tomoyo because he never saw them worthy enough to waste his energy. She explained that a glare or two from Syaoran was enough to put them in their places, especially if he believed that Tomoyo would never ever think of them in a romantic way.

"So really Eriol-kun, you should be proud that Syaoran decided you were worthy enough to be threatened!" Sakura declared loudly, clapping her hands together, as if Syaoran had done him a favour really.

There were times when Eriol wondered why sweet innocent Sakura would be in love with a gruff, violent person like Syaoran. This wasn't one of them. For the rest of the day, Eriol mulled over how Sakura really wasn't always all that sweet, and that Syaoran had a strange way of showing approval.

XXX

Off to my holiday, I'll be back in a week and I'll definitely try and update then. In the meantime, flood my inbox with reviews people! I'm insanely happy, the holidays are hereeee!


	4. And They Have Their First Date

The sun was shining, birds were singing, a slight breeze tousled Eriol's hair. Yes, life seemed pretty awesome now. Sakura was humming away on her front porch swing with Syaoran sitting right next to her and Eriol was sprawled out under her cherryblossom tree, waiting for Tomoyo to arrive before they set out for tea at the new café down the road.

"Eriol-kun," Sakura's sweet, innocent voice floated over to him as she pointed in his general direction, "What's that?"

"Hmm?" Eriol started lazily as he tried to follow Sakura's line of vision, then clamped up as he saw perched on his right shoulder, a moth.

Eriol promptly hyperventilated. Despite being the reincarnation of the most powerful sorcerer in the world, Eriol had a completely irrational fear of moths. "Sakur-ra," Eriol tried to keep his voice steady, "Do you mind helping me get rid of it please?"

"Oh Eriol-kun," Sakura replied in a decidedly exasperated motherly tone, "It's just a moth. It won't hurt you. Shrug your shoulders a bit and it'll probably fly away."

Syaoran was enjoying watching Eriol's discomfort and sniggered to himself so Eriol, a little indignant, decided to do as he was told. Carefully and hesistantly, he moved his shoulders slightly, in an effort to scare the moth away. The moth stretched its wings and it took all of Eriol's willpower not to scream and cower under his hands. The moth however was not done torturing Eriol and simply flitted over to his left shoulder and left Eriol immobilised once again.

"Err, S-sakura, it's not working!" The desperation in Eriol's voice was more evident now and Syaoran could no longer hold his glee in. He fell off the porch swing, clutching his sides, laughing loudly and in disbelief that Clow's reincarnation could actually be afraid of a little moth.

"Oh alright silly Eriol-kun," Sakura said as she approached him, "I'll help you but you have to promise to do something for me!"

Eriol looked stricken but nodded his acquiescence quickly so Sakura simply picked up the moth and let it go gently, muttering a quiet thanks in return. She turned back to Eriol, "Now see, that wasn't so hard!"

Visibly relived, Eriol smiled, colour returning to his cheeks. Syaoran had recovered enough to snort, "What kind of a man would be afraid of moths?"

Eriol narrowed his eyes at the Chinese boy and retorted, "I'll have you know that moths are said to be symbols of death in many cultures and are not good luck!"

"Now, now boys," Sakura stepped in between the two, "Eriol, you promised me something and I want you to take Tomoyo-chan out on a date!"

Eriol just stared at Sakura in confusion.

Sakura continued to ramble on, "You must have her back home by 11 though," Syaoran coughed at this point, "oh fine, 10, because any respectable young lady should not be out too late at night." Syaoran nodded in approval.

"Wait," Eriol tried to make sense of Sakura's request, "you want me to take Tomoyo out on a date? Why?"

Syaoran growled, "I told you Sakura! His intentions towards Tomoyo are not honourable!"

Sakura patted Syaoran on the head in an effort to calm him down, "Don't be silly Syao-kun, Eriol will take good care of Tomoyo will he not?"

"I will!" Eriol protested, "But I still don't understand…"

He was interrupted by Sakura as she gestured to Syaoran to leave by the back gate, "Oh I can sense Tomoyo-chan! She's coming! Tell her Syaoran and I have to do something so it's just you guys today!!" Gleefully she tried to drag Syaoran round the back of the house before Tomoyo could see them.

"I'll be watching you Hiiragizawa!" Syaoran glared at Eriol as his girlfriend pulled him towards the back garden.

"So will I!" Sakura added in an altogether too cheerful voice as she waved happily, which somewhat diminished the previous threat Eriol heard in Syaoran's voice.

He only had time to straighten out his clothes before he saw Tomoyo enter Sakura's garden, looking puzzled to find him the only one there.

"Oh, where's Sakura and Syaoran?" Tomoyo asked, her ponytail swinging behind her as she looked around.

"Er…" Eriol tried to think of an excuse. Then he thought he heard "..date!" from the bushes behind him and quickly improvised, "They're out on a date. Apparently, Syaoran felt that they haven't been getting enough alone time lately," At this point, Eriol wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "So he ditched us and kidnapped Sakura for some romantic getaway."

The bushes behind him rustled ominously.

Tomoyo managed to look amused, "Oh okay then, so what do we do now?"

"Well," Eriol pretended to contemplate, "I think it'll only be fair if I take you out on a date too, what do you say dear Tomoyo? We can give the school something to talk about for the next few weeks and I know you enjoy doing kind things like that." His eyes twinkled as Tomoyo once again dipped her head to hide her blush.

"Alright Eriol, a date sounds nice." Tomoyo smiled, disarming him for a second. Then gallantly Eriol offered Tomoyo his arm and they walked off down the street together.

XXX

Now Tomeoda was a small town, and almost everyone knew everybody. Especially for Tomoyo and Eriol, who were easily recognisable with their dark hair and remarkably beautiful faces. As they walked around the town centre together, they left bursts of whispering in their wake, leaving people to argue whether they were actually 'together' or not.

"Eriol-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Do you not feel uncomfortable at all?"

Eriol looked behind at the alfresco café they had just passed, and immediately, all eyes that had been on them suddenly snapped back to whatever they were doing before, "You mean with the attention we seem to be garnering walking around like we're on a date?"

Tomoyo nodded with a slight smile, "Yes that."

"Not at all Tomoyo-chan, in fact I'll say it's actually quite an honour to be seen out in public with you alone on a weekend!" Eriol replied with a charming smile of his own.

Tomoyo laughed and Eriol couldn't stop his smile from getting wider, "Eriol-kun, I'm not like your secret admirers so I'm afraid your honeyed words won't work on me!"

"Aww," Eriol tried for a wounded expression, hands clutched dramatically over his heart, "I was entirely sincere Tomoyo-sama!"

Tomoyo only shook her pretty head in reply, and then stopped abruptly in front of a little shop, "You don't mind Eriol-kun? I need to get some art supplies."

"No, of course not!" He held the door open for her and gestured her in first. None of them heard the sighs that sounded from the alfresco café behind them.

_Could there possibly be a more perfect couple?_

XXX

"Eriol-kun?"

"Yes dear Tomoyo?"

"How on earth did Sakura get you to agree to this?"

Eriol quickly opened his eyes and looked over at Tomoyo, seemingly absorbed in sketching something in her new sketch book. "What are you talking about Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo rolled her eyes, "Oh come on Eriol-kun, I'm not daft. I can recognise that tell-tale red light in the bushes right over there. Sakura must be taping this right now, probably in revenge for all the secret recordings I've done on her dates with Syaoran."

Eriol laughed, "Well, well, well, I suppose I could never hope to fool you in any way."

Tomoyo nodded decisively and smiled, "That's right Eriol, you better count on it!" And she turned back to her sketch book, brows furrowing in concentration.

Eriol looked around, attempting to distract himself from staring too openly at the Daidouji heiress. He had never known about this little green haven, so close to Tomoyo's and his own house. It was like a private garden, although according to Tomoyo, it was really a park. Very few people ventured here though because apparently King Penguin Park was a lot bigger and more popular with the townsfolk. He then realised with a start that he did recognise this place, the scene before him familiar as he peeked over at Tomoyo's sketch book.

"Ice cream." Eriol stated.

Tomoyo looked up from her canvass, presently just a rough sketch of a boy and a girl walking home together. She had been planning to draw the both of them as she remembered on one of their walks home, an ice cream in each hand. "Don't read my mind Eriol, it's rude."

Eriol chuckled, "I didn't! And you know I can't read minds Tomoyo, not on purpose anyway." He watched as she smiled in return, carefully tracing the beginnings of an ice cream cone on her canvass.

"You aren't mad are you?" Eriol started again, "With Sakura's match making efforts?"

Tomoyo shook her head, "No, I know she just wants the best for me. And for some twisted reason, she thinks that's you." Tomoyo looked up from her sketch to eye the red light still blinking in the bush in front of her.

Eriol pretended to be affronted, "Why Tomoyo, that is probably the most unforgiving speech you have made!" He quickly reverted back to a concerned tone though, "I know you love her, does it… still hurt?"

Tomoyo turned her violet eyes to him and smiled softly, "Oh Eriol, it stopped hurting a long time ago." She looked back down at her sketch, "I admit that when Syaoran came back, I did feel a little wistful and for a while thought I'll be miserable forever, just looking at the both of them from the sidelines, thoroughly in love. But it didn't turn out like that, it didn't hurt like I thought it would, and I think it gradually faded to something else altogether." Tomoyo blew on her fringe, "I know it might sound a little cliché, but I was happy seeing Sakura-chan happy and then one day, I realised that I was actually truly and genuinely happy that Sakura and Syaoran found each other."

Eriol smiled, "So is your definition of love still the same then? Will you be satisfied knowing that the person you love is happy, even though that may not be with you?"

Tomoyo thought for a moment, "Yes, yes I think so." She looked straight at Eriol, "Are you happy Eriol?"

Eriol blinked, "Me?" Suddenly his mind flashed to his numerous unexplainable dreams, the woman he left behind in England and the recent uncertain feelings he was harbouring for the raven haired beauty and answered honestly, "I actually don't know."

Tomoyo continued to look at him and then said quietly, "I know."

Eriol thought her answer strangely familiar. She started sketching again, "I know what you must be feeling Eriol-kun, but don't worry, I'm sure you'll be genuinely happy again soon."

"Tomoyo," Eriol began, "I don't know what you mean by being genuinely happy, but right now at this very moment, there's nowhere else I would rather be." His tone was earnest, he wanted her to understand what he was feeling, although he couldn't quite grasp it himself.

He waited for her answer as she finally finished her drawing, blowing gently on the paper, "I know."

XXX

The two of them soon found themselves in front of Tomoyo's porch. Eriol checked his pocket watch. Yes, 10 on the dot.

Tomoyo giggled, "Did I actually have a curfew?"

"I'm afraid so, Syaoran was quite insistent." Eriol replied and he saw that the red light that had been behind the oak tree disappeared. The wind carried snippets of the conversation their way, "…privacy Syaoran!", "…no way… defend her honour…", "…I told you, no violence…" Then they both heard footsteps retreating, one set sounded light, almost like they were skipping away, the other set heavy, shuffling and hesitant.

They shared a smile.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to thank you for the date Eriol-kun, albeit it being forced." Tomoyo commented lightly.

"Forced it may have been Tomoyo-chan, but unenjoyable it was definitely most not. We should really do this again some time." Eriol replied, "I've almost forgotten what it's like to be on a date actually. Thank you for the wonderful time today."

Tomoyo smiled and turned to move towards the front door, "No Eriol-kun, thank _you_ for the wonderful date today." The distant ringing of bells sounded, probably from the nearby church. She then added, hesitantly, "I hope things work out for you and Mizuki-sensei."

"I'm not sure if I want things to work out actually," Eriol said quickly, almost on the spur of a moment. To be honest, he hadn't really thought of Kaho in a while.

His gaze seemed to freeze Tomoyo in her place and she looked down at her feet, "Oh." For some reason, Tomoyo didn't want the night to end. She knew it was silly, and that she was going to see Eriol tomorrow in school anyway but it felt to her that tonight was theirs and she was desperate to hang on to it for as long as she could.

Eriol seemed to share her sentiments because she saw him take out his pocket watch and quirked her eyebrow in question. She smiled when she realised he was turning the time an hour back, so that it read 9 o'clock.

"I don't exactly want to incur Syaoran's wrath." He handed the pocket watch over to her, and said softly, "Now we've got another hour."

For a while, nobody spoke. They simply stood there on Tomoyo's lawn, the moonlight reflecting in the fountain and casting their shadows on the lonely driveway.

Tomoyo fingered the pocket watch in her hand, "Mou Eriol-kun, what did I tell you about reading my mind?"

XXX

To everyone who reviewed, I send my most sincere thanks. I would definitely work on improving my writings, your comments on everything is appreciated. There was one review which was basically an entire theory on Eriol's dreams and I am incredibly flattered that you took the trouble of thinking it through like that. The theory is very interesting, although not quite what this story is going to be about. Admittedly, you seem to have given it much more thought than I have. The premise behind this story, I actually thought of while in my shower, although I assure you all that it was a long one. I only hope when everything is revealed, it does make some sense to my readers.

My holiday was awesome, in case anyone was wondering! The beach does wonders for you I find.


	5. And Tomoyo Helps

_He sees her in the garden, putting up Christmas lights. He doesn't remember it being Christmas._

"_Hello beautiful, what are you doing?"_

_She looks back at him and tilts her head to the side. He thinks she looks adorable._

"_Isn't it obvious? I'm putting up Christmas lights!"_

_He quickly walks up to her, and aids her in untangling them from the brown cardboard box. She smiles at him as she entangles her own fingers with his. _

"_Aren't they pretty?"_

_He nods and smiles at her, "They sure are."_

XXX

Generally, you would think as the reincarnation of Clow Reed, who was probably the very essence of magic, Eriol would spend his time pouring through ancient books, researching and creating spells, or at least be more inclined to use magic whenever possible. However, he was quite the opposite. He never liked using magic, whether it was just to ensure a rare sunny day in London for the picnic Kaho very much wanted to have, or just everyday mundane things like cooking and cleaning. He enjoyed the unpredictably of nature and weather, and hated controlling it. As for cleaning and cooking, well, was it really a crime if a manly man like him enjoyed the satisfaction of doing something with his own two hands?

For Eriol, magic was manipulative and contrary to popular belief (or just Syaoran's), Eriol did not enjoy manipulation. After the conversion of the Clow Cards, Eriol never performed magic on such a large scale again. Nevertheless, he was still thankful for his mad skills when Ruby Moon got too loud and he could render himself partially deaf for a while, without the use of unfashionable earplugs. Therefore, when Sakura asked Eriol to decorate his garden for Syaoran's surprise birthday party, he agreed on the condition that he was allowed to do everything by hand.

"But Eriol-kun, I don't want to trouble you or anything! You have a humungous garden! Can't you just wave your pretty staff and be done with it?" Sakura asked, wringing her hands together. She knew Eriol and Syaoran weren't exactly on the best of terms, and it wouldn't be fair to ask Eriol to slave away on his garden when Syaoran was very unlikely to appreciate the effort.

"Don't be silly Sakura-chan! Aren't you baking a cake for him? I trust you're not going to use the Sweet or Create to help you?" Eriol questioned, already drawing up plans in his head as to how best to string the lights across the garden.

"No, of course not Eriol-kun, but Syaoran is very dear to me, and I want to put in all my effort and well, even if you do everything yourself without magic, I don't think Syaoran…" Sakura trailed off, not sure how she could tell Eriol that Syaoran would probably protest at even being in Eriol's garden, much less notice the decorations Eriol had done by hand.

Eriol chuckled, "Oh that's alright Sakura-chan, I have faith in Syaoran, he must feel something deep down in that stone cold heart of his. Besides, I wouldn't know what to get him for his birthday anyway, so just treat this as my birthday present for him alright?"

"Well if you insist Eriol-kun…" Sakura conceded.

"I insist." Eriol smiled kindly then added, "Shouldn't you be home right now baking the cake for tonight?"

"Oh! Yes, I just wanted to make sure everything is settled before I do that…" Sakura replied as she looked distractedly around the garden.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, you can trust me." Eriol said, a twinkle in his eye.

To Sakura's credit, she let very little of her doubt show and nodded. Thanking Eriol once again, she hurried out of his gates, visibly nervous about the upcoming surprise party that night. Eriol grinned as he watched her walk away and proceeded to roll up his sleeves as he surveyed his garden. A mental picture in his head, he got to work.

Half an hour later, Eriol was not making much progress. He was presently tangled in an array of Christmas lights which he had originally planned to string around the branches of his trees. He blew on his hair in frustration and had half a mind to call Spinel for his staff when he heard a giggle behind him.

"Eriol-kun! I hope you realise you're not a Christmas tree!"

Eriol whirled around, which was admittedly a little difficult to do in his present state, shocked that he hadn't sensed her presence and found himself tangled even further in his little web. He tried to take a step forward but tripped and found himself prostrated on the ground, right in front of Tomoyo.

Ah, sweet sweet Tomoyo. He realised if he just tilted his head a little bit…

"Enjoying the view Eriol?"

He blushed fiercely, "Er, a little help?" And he wriggled around on the floor, attempting to upright himself.

She laughed again, this time not bothering to suppress her amusement at his situation and bent down to help him out.

"Why aren't you baking with Sakura-chan?" Eriol asked, in an attempt to distract himself from these funny chills he was having as she untangled the lights and brushed him with her fingertips.

"It was one of those things Sakura wanted to do alone for Syaoran you know?" Tomoyo replied, as she gingerly untangled the last knot, careful not to break any of the pretty little fragile lights.

"Or, she wanted to make sure I didn't do anything ridiculous to the garden and embarrass Syaoran so she sent you as her spy." Eriol stated, as he shook himself free.

Tomoyo smiled, "Or that." She stepped away from Eriol and looked around the garden, "She didn't have to worry though, at this rate, I doubt there will be any decorations at all, much less anything that could potentially cause some sort of altercation between the both of you."

Eriol had the grace to look sheepish. He swept his arms out, motioning to his garden, "I had such wonderful plans for it too."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes, "Come on Eriol, the first thing we need is a ladder."

XXX

"To the left a little… alright stop, just there." Tomoyo tilted her head and squinted, "Yes, I think that should be the last of it!"

Eriol smiled as he climbed down the ladder and proceeded to look up and admire his handiwork. Christmas lights were strung around the garden and they all met at the biggest cherry blossom tree in the middle. "Wow Tomoyo, I could never have done this without you."

Tomoyo stepped up beside him and looked up as well, examining the lights and making sure everything was in order, "I'm sure it'll look even better at night when the lights are on."

"I'm sure it will." Eriol agreed as a sense of satisfaction swept over him.

"Hey Eriol-kun," Tomoyo turned her attention to Eriol, "May I ask why you insisted on doing this by hand? I'm sure with your magic, everything could have been done quite easily."

"Well," Eriol proceeded to look around him, "If I had done all this with magic, I imagine I wouldn't appreciate its beauty so much."

Tomoyo smiled, "That's a very nice way to think about it." She walked towards the tree trunk and leaned against it, and added almost wistfully, "Although I always found magic to be absolutely fascinating."

"You do?" Eriol quirked his eyebrow.

Tomoyo laughed, "You'd think that with the amount of time I spend around Sakura and Syaoran, I would find it a little boring by now." She looked down at the grass, as if a little embarrassed by what she was going to admit, "But to tell you the truth, I was always sort of jealous of them both."

Eriol stepped next to Tomoyo, "Really?"

Tomoyo nodded and smiled, "They don't use it a lot in front of me obviously, I think they probably feel bad that I'm the only one among them who can't use magic. I can't even sense it properly, like Touya and Kinomoto-sensei can."

Eriol had his hands clasped behind his back as he watched Tomoyo explain and in his mind he muttered a quick spell. He frowned slightly when he realised that violets were not appearing in his hands and he wondered if he had gotten the spell wrong. He tried again, but to no avail. Slightly frustrated that he had forgotten the simplest spell, he was caught off guard when Tomoyo leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I'm about as magical as a piece of wood, so anything just a little different and mysterious would thrill me. You probably wouldn't get it ne Eriol?" Tomoyo proceeded to tilt her head to look up at Eriol.

Eriol felt his heart skip a beat. He looked down at her, and realised with a start that their faces were just mere inches apart and if he leaned, just a little, he could… he was suddenly distracted by her eyes as they widened. A little alarmed that he might have been unconsciously moving forward, he was put at ease again when he realised that Tomoyo was only surprised with the plum blossoms that were presently drifting down around them.

"Strange." Eriol whispered to himself.

"Strange that plum blossoms are suddenly raining down on us or strange that plum blossoms are raining down on us when we're actually standing under a cherry blossom tree?" Tomoyo asked, smiling widely as she stretched out a hand to catch the falling flowers.

Eriol smiled and the question was left unanswered as he watched Tomoyo twirl around his garden, laughing as she tried to catch as many flowers as she could. His spell had obviously gone wrong somewhere, but he wasn't about to complain. He had achieved what he planned to in the first place, to make Tomoyo laugh again. Eriol had never wanted to do magic for anyone before. But because Tomoyo thought it was _fascinating_, he wanted to do it for her.

_I mean, it's not like I'm in love with the woman or anything, nobody can resist a Daidouji right?_

XXX

The sun was setting, and gradually Eriol's garden began to fill up with classmates from school and other familiar faces. He stood by the gates with Tomoyo as they greeted each party guest, instructing them on the best places to hide so Syaoran might have a proper surprise. Yes, Tomoyo and Eriol were well mannered like that, and Eriol couldn't shake the strange but pleasant feeling of having Tomoyo stand next to him as he welcomed guests, as if she was the mistress of the property.

He sneaked a glance sideways at the vision next to him, and realised that the Christmas lights illuminated her raven locks just right, and seemed to bathe her in some ethereal glow. He quickly regained his senses when he heard someone clear his throat in front of him and was quite surprised to find Touya Kinomoto fixing him with one of his famous looks.

Tomoyo, thankfully did not seem to notice and cheerfully enveloped her cousin in a hug, "Touya! I'm so glad you're here! Sakura-chan would be extremely touched!"

Touya managed a small smile for his cousin and then quickly tried to dismiss his presence, "I'm only here because Yuki forced me to. And don't count on me sticking around for too long."

Only then did Eriol realise Yukito standing slightly behind Touya, smiling widely as usual as he bowed in greeting, "Touya is just not secure enough to admit he really adores Syaoran-kun."

Tomoyo laughed gaily as Touya sputtered, no doubt trying to demonstrate his intense hatred for the brat that dared to steal his little sister away from him when Yukito, unfazed by Touya's intelligible gurgling, discovered the huge buffet spread in the far side of the garden and tried to drag his companion along with him.

"Yuki, we have to find someplace to hide first. Aizuki might see me!" Touya protested, although both Tomoyo and Eriol noted that he put up a very weak protest.

"I think you mean Syaoran might see you Touya, it's a surprise, remember? Besides, I'm sure Aizuki-san would be delighted to see you." Yukito replied, as he quickened his steps to the buffet table.

Touya followed grudgingly although he turned around halfway to the other side of the garden and glared at Eriol for no apparent reason at all. Well, to Tomoyo at least. Eriol had an odd feeling that Touya could somehow read his mind and had discerned his interest in Touya's favourite (and only) cousin.

Tomoyo turned to Eriol and examined him closely, "Wow Eriol-kun, you certainly seem to have a talent for rubbing Touya and Syaoran the wrong way."

Eriol smiled weakly in return and was about to protest his innocence when he heard Sakura skipping happily towards the gates and exclaiming in a louder than usual voice, "Come on Syaoran, Eriol's waiting!"

Eriol quickly motioned for Tomoyo to crouch down with him behind the bushes and she promptly gave a signal for the rest of the garden to get ready for the surprise.

Both of them heard Syaoran grumble audibly, "Sakura, I don't get why we have to come to Eriol's."

"Eriol has this awesome discount card for the fancy restaurant I'm going to bring you for your birthday Syao-kun!" Sakura tinkled merrily in return.

Eriol raised his eyebrows, Sakura was actually pretty good at lying, no doubt due to the influence of her best friend currently huddling next to him, a little too close for comfort. He had to remember to keep an eye on her in the future.

"I don't mind paying for dinner Sakura!" Syaoran almost wailed, distinctly uncomfortable with being so near Eriol's property.

Sakura giggled, "Oh don't be silly Syaoran, come on, hurry up!" And Eriol and Tomoyo saw Sakura pulling Syaoran by his sleeves as they stepped onto Eriol's driveway.

"SURPRISE!"

The birthday boy stood frozen in his tracks, eyes widening as he surveyed his surroundings and the people at his surprise party. Eriol thought he saw Syaoran choke when he recognised Touya next to the buffet table. Smiling weakly, he waved as the party guests laughed and offered their congratulations.

"Were you surprised Syaoran?" Sakura asked nervously next to him, playing with the hem of her dress.

"Did you plan this Sakura?" Syaoran asked, looking down at his girlfriend and smiling softly at her.

Sakura nodded, "Tomoyo-chan helped too. And so did Eriol-kun."

Syaoran almost snorted, but stopped himself in time, and instead wrapped Sakura in a tight hug and whispered his thanks in her hair.

Looking over the top of Sakura's head, Syaoran caught Tomoyo's eye and directed a wide smile at her as she waved happily and laughed. And because Eriol was standing next to Tomoyo, he was graced with the same smile that Syaoran could not stop himself in time to show when he looked over at him.

"Aww, I think Syaoran's warming up to you!" Tomoyo said as she watched her favourite couple disappear into the crowd of well-wishers, under the Christmas lights. She couldn't help but smile as she stood entranced by their twinkling, "Aren't they pretty?"

Eriol smiled and nodded as he fixed his gaze on her, "They sure are."

XXX

I'm really sorry for my little hiatus, I simply couldn't find the time or inspiration to finish this chapter for some strange and mysterious reason. But now that I've finally gotten it done and posted, surely I should be rewarded with a little review?


	6. And Eriol has a Revelation

_He sees her lounging on his bed, flipping through old music manuscripts, occasionally trying to sound out the melody with her humming. She looks up when she hears him come in and spreads her arms wide open, expecting a hug. He laughs and moves towards the bed, enveloping her in his arms, wanting to hold her tight yet afraid he might break her, for she looks so fragile._

"_Hello beautiful, that happens to be my most favourite piece of music you're holding."_

"_I know, why else would I be holding on to it?"_

_She laughs cheekily, trying to keep it out of his reach. They have an impromptu wrestling match, and she shrieks as he tackles her and pins her to the bed._

"_I win!"_

"_I don't think so."_

_She cranes her neck and drops a kiss on his jaw line and this slight distraction allows her to wriggle free from his grasp and jump off the bed, still clutching on to the music sheet. He laughs again and chases after her. Finally, he manages to corner her in the far end of the room by the window and he sees her eyes soften, cheeks flushed from the exertion. His breath hitches as she smiles at him and he leans in, closer…_

Eriol stumbled out of his room, for once he actually wanted to go back to sleep, hoping to return to his dream but the sunlight was presently streaming in through the long windows of his mansion and his guardians were making too much noise in the kitchen. He sighed as he plodded down the stairs, now convinced that his dreams were premonitions or, at the very least the product of his overworked brain which constantly pondered the wonder that was Tomoyo Daidouji. Eriol had never thought that he would ever fancy himself in love. He knew he had not been in love with Kaho. She had been a soothing presence in his life, when he needed direction and answers to his questions but deep down, he knew he could never love her, not in the way she wanted him to. He thought himself too old, too cynical, too wise, to fall in love and for a long time, he thought he was right. And then came Tomoyo. If he was honest with himself, he would say that yes, he was irrevocably and absolutely in love with Tomoyo Daidouji.

He mused over this revelation. Well then, what was to be his next step? Looking around, he realised he had already made his way to the corridor leading to the kitchen. A rather unexciting place to have an epiphany he reflected. The clang of pots and pans soon disturbed whatever mental peace he was enjoying and so he stepped into the kitchen, preparing to greet his two guardians a good morning.

"HI ERIOL-SAMA! DID YOU SLEEP WELL?"

"Yes, quite well Ruby Moon, thank you." Eriol answered, rubbing his temples because despite the many years he had spent with his little family, he was still unaccustomed to the unnecessarily loud volume Ruby Moon chose to speak in, especially early in the morning.

"Sweet dreams Master?" Spinel was perceptive and eerily spot on as usual, as his tail flicked around lazily.

Eriol reddened slightly, bowing his head to inspect the kitchen top.

"Tell me Master, planning on telling her the truth soon?" Spinel continued in a rather crafty tone of voice, and one could suddenly discern the resemblance between the two guardians, normally as different as night and day.

Nakuru dropped her pot loudly into the kitchen sink and bounced in front of Eriol, cupping her face with her hands, "Poor, poor Tomoyo-chan. Such a sweet girl and now she's fallen into the evil clutches of Eriol-sama."

"I don't know what you guys are talking about." Eriol coloured even more as he left the room because if there was anyone who could read his thoughts, he knew it would be his two guardians.

Nakuru and Spinel watched their master's retreating back when Nakuru suddenly exclaimed, "Oh Suppi-chan, we forgot to tell him you have been having trouble transforming into your true form!"

Spinel rolled his eyes at his counterpart, "I would hardly trouble Eriol about it, I do believe the insane amount of glucose you force into my body every night has adversely affected my ability to transform in the morning for my daily exercise."

Nakuru laughed as the oven bell sounded, "Sorry Suppi-chan, I'll cut down on the sugar next time."

Spinel noted that she did not sound sorry at all.

XXX

He left his house that morning in a hurry, hoping to escape the knowing looks his guardians kept throwing his way whenever they thought he wasn't looking. Did they not know he had eyes on the back of his head? Looking ahead, he spotted Tomoyo and Syaoran walking together in the direction of school and remembered that it was Wednesday. He knew it was a tradition and was wondering if it might be improper to catch up with them and disturb their time together when Syaoran turned around and spotted him. Eriol waved, and jogged up when he saw that Syaoran was glaring at him in a decidedly less deadly manner.

"Ohayo Eriol-kun, Syaoran and I were just talking about you!" Tomoyo greeted, smiling at him.

"Really?" Eriol was taken aback, not bothering to hide his surprise. "Syaoran?" He turned to gape openly at the boy next to him.

"Please don't flatter yourself Hiiragizawa, I was merely instructing Tomoyo how best to disembowel your body should you dare to cross any line with her." Syaoran glowered, narrowing his eyes at Eriol.

Eriol found himself actually quite frightened and so was a little offended when Tomoyo laughed merrily, "Oh don't mind him Eriol, Syaoran was only joking."

Syaoran shot him a sarcastic smile. Then, he turned to Tomoyo, "I'm going to meet Sakura, she left some of her cheer stuff at my place so I have to go deliver them to her. You go on ahead to school, we'll meet you there." Of course Syaoran had meant "you two go on ahead to school" but he could not bring himself to acknowledge the evil one's presence and could not bear to think about the time sweet Tomoyo will spend in said evil one's company.

Tomoyo realised Syaoran was attempting to create some alone time with Eriol for her and was slightly surprised. Eriol, to his credit, realised that too and waved happily as Syaoran walked away, "I told you he secretly likes me."

Tomoyo laughed, "I suppose so, deep down Syaoran is just like a huge teddy bear."

Eriol had a mental image of Syaoran in a teddy bear outfit as Sakura and Tomoyo danced around him and guffawed. Realising that he was alone with Tomoyo, he began to evaluate his options. They still had a considerable way to walk to school and it was a quiet enough walk, so he would have ample time to tell her his recently discovered feelings. If she didn't feel the same way, then he could simply use magic and erase the memory of his confession. He chided himself mentally, no, it wouldn't be right to use magic on Tomoyo. He continued this mental struggle until Tomoyo stopped him by placing her hand on his arm.

"Are you alright Eriol-kun?" She asked, concern shining in her violet eyes.

Eriol was at a lost of words for a fleeting movement, then recovered himself, "I'm fine Tomoyo, why would you ask that?"

She pointed towards the music sheet he had brought from home, his favourite piece that he had hoped to play for her, and he realised that he had crushed it in his nervousness, half of it torn into little shreds.

"Oh, well you see Tomoyo," he laughed a little nervously, running his hands through his hair. He took a deep breath and fixed Tomoyo with a smouldering stare. "I…"

Tomoyo held her breath in anticipation, for what she wasn't quite sure. But Eriol was a little out of sorts that morning, and for some reason, her stomach was fluttering more than usual in his presence.

"You see, I have come to realise something, quite important." Eriol began, then paused for a while, trying to collect his thoughts. Deciding that he should hurry up and put himself out of his misery, he opened his mouth to continue but his vision blurred suddenly and stumbling backwards, he blacked out.

XXX

He opened his eyes groggily, and spied the familiar crack in his ceiling. He was lying on his own bed. A little disorientated, he attempted to sit up when he heard a voice.

"Eriol-kun! You're awake! Thank goodness, you really scared me back there."

He turned to find Tomoyo next to his bed, and asked quite stupidly, "What happened?"

She shook her head, "I don't know. I suppose you must be sick, fainting like that. Luckily Nakuru was on her way to school too and we managed to bring you back home."

"Oh," Eriol racked his brains trying to remember if he had even fallen sick. He had fainted from exhaustion before, when he had used too much magic at once, but those days have long gone with the complete conversion of the Clow Cards, so he wondered how he could possibly have fainted this time.

"Erm Eriol-kun, you were trying to tell me something before you fainted, do you remember what it was?" Tomoyo enquired a little timidly, wondering if it was polite to question an invalid.

Eriol remembered, his courage though was lost so he just stared blankly at Tomoyo, hoping to engrave this moment, where she was sitting by his bed, looking very worried for his well being, into his memory.

Nakuru chose this moment to walk into the room and announced that Kaho was on the phone, wanting to speak to Eriol.

"Oh Tomoyo-chan! I'm sorry I didn't realise you were here. I thought you were in the kitchen with Suppi! I hope I didn't interrupt anything!" Nakuru pattered on, obviously flustered.

Tomoyo shook her head hurriedly, "Oh don't worry about it Nakuru-san, I was just about to leave actually."

Eriol wanted to point out that no, she wasn't just about to leave when she smiled softly at him and whispered, "Good luck Eriol-kun."

Nakuru handed him the phone and escorted Tomoyo from his room. When she turned and her figure disappeared from view, Eriol sighed and remembered his phone call.

"I'm sorry Kaho, for the wait."

"It's no trouble Eriol. I hope you're feeling better."

"Yes, I am, thank you."

The double meaning in their conversation failed to escape his notice.

"I called…" Kaho hesitated, "I had a dream Eriol."

"A dream?"

"Yes, about you, and Clow and I don't think you're going to like it."

"Really, let's hear it." Eriol said, feeling like the day could not possibly have gone any worse.

There was a pause on the other end and Eriol almost thought that she had hung up when he suddenly heard Kaho say, "You're going to die Eriol."

"Pardon me?"

"I saw them in my visions, around the same time as your dreams, I wanted to ignore them but when you left," Kaho's voice hitched, "I found Clow's diary. He wrote…" He heard her breathe heavily, as if trying to collect herself, "He wrote about you, and his reincarnation."

"Kinomoto-sensei." Eriol said, almost absentmindedly.

"Yes, I'm afraid you're not Clow's reincarnation Eriol." Kaho replied, her voice sounded very distressed.

"I'm not?" Eriol could hardly think. Well, if he wasn't Clow's reincarnation, how did he get his powers?

"No, you're not." Kaho repeated, "Clow, he thought that his knowledge and magic were far too great for one person to bear. So when he died, he made it such that his reincarnation, Fujitaka Kinomoto, was not to have any of his powers and memories. However, he anticipated that his future protégé would need some help and guidance."

Eriol did not speak.

Kaho continued, "Which is why he created you Eriol, you are the product of his lifelong magic and memories. Now that Sakura has completed her task, his magic is fading, and you along with it. He thought you would understand, dying, because in his mind, there was nothing else he, and by extension, you could have achieve."

Eriol was still silent. But he heard the sobs that were wrecking through Kaho's body.

"Clow didn't…" Kaho struggled to regain composure, "He didn't anticipate…"

Eriol laughed bitterly, and Kaho could not help but think that the sound did not suit him, "He overlooked that I might have feelings of my own."

It was Kaho's turn to be silent.

"Thank you Kaho, this clears things up for me quite a bit. I hope you're well." Eriol hung up with a click.

Back in England, Kaho stared at her phone and collapsed onto the floor of the study, littered with Clow's writings and detailed plans, allowing her sobs to break through and her cries to sound through the halls.

XXX

Sorry guys, forgot to warn you that this would be the pivotal chapter of the story. And from now on, what I said about this story being less happier than my previous efforts would probably start manifesting in the following chapters. Trying to widen my range with bittersweet stories, I hope it's getting convincing. And I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, especially to those who have been faithfully reviewing from the start, I am incredibly grateful. You guys rock, seriously. (I love you!)


	7. And Things Start Falling Apart

The aftermath of the call was a huge blur for him. He managed to tell his guardians what Kaho had informed him and they experienced the relatively similar pendulum swing of emotions. Shock, disbelief, anger, realisation then regret.

"It's not fair!" Nakuru cried, "Not when Eriol-sama has just found Tomoyo-chan!"

"I'm sorry Ruby Moon." Eriol said softly, as he looked at his creations. They were presently huddled beside the fireplace in the living room and he saw reflected in their eyes, his own grief and distress. "Are you two afraid to die?"

"No." Spinel answered shortly.

Nakuru shook her head, "Not afraid Eriol-sama, because if you leave, Spinel and I would not see the need in surviving."

Eriol bit his lip, "If I could, if I could keep you two alive, I would." He looked over at Nakuru, "You Ruby Moon, you're so happy now, I can feel it. It energises me in the morning, your wish to live its day to the fullest." He turned to Spinel, "And you Spinel, I know you enjoy learning more about the world and keeping Ruby Moon in check." At this he smiled wryly. "Unfortunately though, one cannot always have their way, especially if they're mere creations of another being."

The 3 figures hunched together in an awkward sort of hug as they attempted to calm one of their member down.

"What's going to happen now Eriol-sama? Are we going to tell Sakura-chan and Tomoyo-chan?" Nakuru questioned when her tears ran dry.

"No Ruby Moon, Tomoyo mustn't know. And if Sakura found out, she would undoubtedly want to transfer her powers over to me, which as we all know, would likely have devastating consequences."

"Does this mean we have to leave Japan?" Spinel asked, squashed in a hug between Eriol and Nakuru.

"I'm afraid so." Eriol replied.

He knew though he would not be able to leave any time soon and his guardians understood as well. Eriol couldn't bring himself to leave, not when he just discovered the girl who had been haunting his dreams for so long. He would stay for as long as he could, without arousing suspicion from Sakura and Syaoran and for once, thank the powers that be that they were rather slow on the uptake.

XXX

The rest of the class watched with interest as Tomoyo and Eriol struggled their way through school. Not in the same way they would, oh no, their grades were still the highest in class, their homework always done and they always had perfect answers for the sensei's question. However, both of them were obviously struggling with their feelings for each other, and their relationship had turned from its usual friendly banter, to one of forced politeness and careful avoidance. Sakura, in particular watched anxiously as Tomoyo and Eriol bumped into each other again then awkwardly picked up their books, bowing slightly and making sure to keep a careful distance as they walked to their seats.

"Syaoran!" Sakura wailed, obviously distraught, "What's happened to them?"

Now Syaoran would never allow his Sakura to feel any sort of pain or discomfort or sadness, so he made up his mind to find out what was wrong, even if it meant solving it would see his dearest friend Tomoyo in a potentially crazy relationship with the most eccentric person he knew.

He caught up with Tomoyo after school that day. Sakura had cheer practice so he offered to walk her home, noting with a little annoyance that Hiiragizawa had not done so for a few days now.

"Something is up with you." Syaoran was never one for subtlety.

Tomoyo looked up from the pavement, as she and Syaoran took the familiar walk back home and laughed, "Nothing is up with me silly Syaoran."

Syaoran observed her forced laughter, "If Hiiragizawa has anything to do with this…" His fist clenched threateningly.

Tomoyo looked up sharply again and warned, "Syaoran, this has nothing to do with Eriol-kun."

Syaoran knew better.

Tomoyo sighed, "Fine, it has something to do with Eriol-kun, but it's not Eriol-kun's fault."

"You're in love with him," Syaoran stated although it pained him to say so.

Tomoyo smiled a little sadly, "I think so Syaoran-kun, except that he loves Mizuki-sensei, and I can never hope to compete with her."

"Rubbish," Syaoran said, "If Hiiragizawa doesn't see how special and beautiful you are, then he isn't worth your time."

Tomoyo blushed, "That's very nice of you to say so Syaoran-kun but I don't dare to hope for anything else other than his friendship now."

"I'm a guy too Tomoyo, and I can tell he doesn't see Mizuki-sensei how everyone thinks he does," Syaoran admitted grudgingly, "I think he may be in love with you too."

Tomoyo shook her head, "I'm afraid you're wrong about that Syaoran-kun. Mizuki-sensei called him when I was at his place that day, and he had wanted to tell me something before that, I suspect he was trying to confide in me about being still in love with her."

"Mizuki-sensei called him?" Syaoran frowned, that did seem pretty suspicious. "And he became all shifty after that I suppose?"

Tomoyo smiled ruefully, "I wouldn't use the word shifty Syaoran, you make Eriol-kun seem like some sort of thief."

Syaoran snorted. He most certainly had stolen Tomoyo's heart, but he wasn't about to voice that out loud because it sounded corny even in his own mind.

Tomoyo sighed, "I suppose I just have this terrible habit of falling in love with people who just can't love me back." Saying so, she turned to give Syaoran a little smile, which for some reason crushed him because he saw the melancholy and longing behind them.

Tomoyo slowed to a stop outside her gate, "This is me Syaoran, thanks for the walk home today."

Syaoran nodded and on impulse, pulled Tomoyo into a hug, "I swear, I'll make sure you are as happy as me some day."

Tomoyo, although surprised at first, soon relaxed into his embrace and nodded fervently, wanting to believe that some day, she could be genuinely and truly as fortunate.

XXX

Eriol watched as the basketball rebounded from the hoop and groaned in frustration. His aiming had been off lately, no doubt because his mind was preoccupied with his impending fate, Clow and his stupid schemes, Tomoyo, avoiding Tomoyo, and making sure Syaoran never found him alone. Unfortunately, Eriol never believed in multi-tasking, so Syaoran did manage to find him alone, there at the basketball court in school.

"Hiiragizawa."

Eriol turned to face Syaoran, "Are we always to meet like this Syaoran? You must realise it can be rather intimidating and hardly conducive for a friendly chat when you always corner me alone in a secluded spot of school."

Syaoran stalked towards Eriol and shouted angrily, "Did you not promise me not to hurt Tomoyo?"

Eriol breathed deeply, "I have never disrespected Tomoyo in any way."

"Tell me," Syaoran growled, "Is it true that Mizuki-sensei called you and that you've been avoiding Tomoyo ever since?"

"Yes," Eriol replied honestly.

Syaoran's fist promptly collided with Eriol's stomach. "Let me repeat, Tomoyo is not to be toyed with bastard, this is low even for you."

Eriol felt the resentment that had been boiling deep inside him the past few days slowly rise to the surface, he stepped up to Syaoran and very unexpectedly (for Eriol was a gentleman) landed a punch on his jaw. "I am not toying with Tomoyo."

Syaoran was obviously livid, even more so now then Eriol had somehow managed to injure him, so he lunged at him, ignoring the fact that he was a powerful magician. Eriol reacted instinctively and the two boys rolled around on the court, exchanging kicks, punches and swear words. In the midst of the fracas, a group of first years walked to the basketball court, intending to play a game. They recognised the two seniors immediately and aware of the reputation of one of them, promptly fled the scene.

Soon, Syaoran and Eriol got tired and found themselves flat on their backs, slightly apart from each other.

"You're in love with her."

Eriol realised that Syaoran did that a lot. Making statements when he should have been asking questions. He found that it annoyed him, mostly because Syaoran was always right.

"Why don't you tell her?" Syaoran tried again, ignoring the stinging on his lower jaw.

"I can't." Eriol replied, slowly getting up, wincing as he touched an especially sore spot on his ribs, "and I won't."

As he left Syaoran lying on the court, he heard clearly Syaoran's voice mocking him, "Coward."

And he knew, Syaoran was always right.

XXX

Touya Kinomoto looked hesitantly around, then breathed a sigh of relief as he realised that no, the crazy girl was not waiting outside the shop he was part-timing at. He smiled to himself and walked out the door, a little more confidently, a slight skip in his step. The day was going well; he had received a good amount of tips and more than the usual amount of phone numbers. The slips of paper were going to be disposed of as soon as he was home though, because he wasn't that sort of guy who would call up a random girl and ask for a date. Actually, he wasn't the sort of guy that would date girls, period.

As he rounded a corner, he came face to face with crazy girl, or as others would call her, Nakuru Aizuki. He braced himself for a scream and a full on glomping but to his surprise, she looked just as startled as he was and then, just shot him a bright smile and waved. He managed a small smile, "Aizuki, what's up."

"Oh, nothing in particular!" She smiled back at him, and he realised that she looked tired, her complexion paler than normal. He frowned, "Are you sick Aiuzki?" He was careful to not sound too concerned. He had a reputation to keep up after all.

She laughed, less boisterously than she usually did and waved his question off, "Of course not! I don't get sick! But I must be losing my touch, I didn't know you were working today." She smiled again and looked him up and down. "You know, Touya, I've never really looked at you."

He snorted, "Really."

She laughed again, "Yea, I'm too busy jumping on your back to really look at you properly. Every time I try to approach you from the front, you see me and go running to the hills, screaming your head off."

"I don't scream my head off," Touya replied, a little affronted, and then realise that the proper response was to say, "And I don't run off."

"Oh Touya, I'm not daft, I know you avoid me." Most people would have said the sentence with a tang of self-pity. Nakuru, however was not most people. It actually sounded like she was amused. "Anyway, I got to go, promised Suppi I'll bake him a cake, ta!"

Touya watched her brush past him and then for some reason, instead of turning and walking away, Touya continued to watch her back. Once again, he congratulated himself for his excellent sixth sense because if he had turned and walked back home, he would have never noticed her stumble and then fall to the floor. He frowned, she was normally quite graceful and waited for her to pick herself up. She didn't. Sensing something amiss, he ran towards her and realised, with a measure of alarm, that she had fainted.

XXX

Nakuru awoke with a start, when she felt drops of water falling on her face. It was raining, and she was being carried. Odd, she clearly remembered Eriol had banned piggyback rides ever since she cracked his hipbone the last time they played. Strange, Eriol didn't smell like cinnamon buns and vanilla.

"Touya-kun?"

Her present mode of transport grunted in return.

"What are you doing?"

"You fainted."

"Oh."

The rain fell harder, "Maybe we should get a cab, I don't think I'll be able to reach your place before it starts pouring."

Nakuru clung to Touya's back a little more tightly and he felt her shake her head. Then almost in a whisper, he heard her say, "Can you carry me home Touya? I would rather we stay like that for a little while more."

She waited for his response, eyes tightly shut, trying to savour the moment for as long as she could because there was no way in hell Touya Kinomoto would agree to such a silly and impractical request.

"Fine."

Kami-sama, had the sun risen from the west this morning?

"Thanks." She managed to stutter out.

After a brief period of silence, Touya asked quite abruptly, "Is something wrong with Hiiragizawa?"

Nakuru started, "Er," She felt a little stupid.

"Yuki had a similar problem when Sakura couldn't sustain him with her powers. Guardians aren't supposed to faint like that."

Nakuru didn't answer him, because she didn't know what to say. So instead she said, "Touya, do you mind walking a little slower?"

He grumbled, but Nakuru felt the pace slow a little and she smiled into Touya's back. She was glad that at least, she had this one moment, belonging to just the both of them. She knew it would probably be the last thing she will think about when the time came. Eriol, Yukito, Clow and his twisted prophecies seemed so far away in comparison. The rain continued to fall and she was glad because she could never ever let Touya see her cry.

XXX

As Touya reached the Hiiragizawa mansion, he spied a familiar figure on the porch. He narrowed his eyes just as she turned and spotted him. He trudged tentatively up the driveway, and came face to face with Kaho Mizuki.

"Why, hello Touya."

He noticed her luggage at the front of the door, "You came to stay?"

She nodded (he thought she looked a little upset), looked over his shoulder and saw a sleeping Nakuru, "What happen to Nakuru?"

Shifting her slightly on his back, he made no comment and instead, reached for the doorbell. The door opened before he could press it, and he walked inside, realising that the hovering plushie was the one who had admitted them in.

Plushie inclined his head towards Kaho and she in turn bowed politely.

"Thank you for bringing Ruby Moon home." Plushie said, looking straight at Touya.

Touya cleared his throat, "Right, that's no problem." Saying so, he gently placed Nakuru on the couch by the fire, "You should probably dry her up."

Plushie nodded solemnly and Touya stepped back when Nakuru suddenly grabbed his sleeve and whispered, "Don't tell Sakura-chan."

Touya frowned worriedly and whispered his agreement. As Nakuru drifted off to sleep, he excused himself and turned to leave through the main door. He heard footsteps running a little clumsily after him and he knew Kaho was behind him.

"Here Touya," she offered him an umbrella, "It's raining."

He took the proffered umbrella from her outstretched hand and muttered his thanks. As he turned to leave again, she added hurriedly, "I hope you have been well."

Touya nodded and faced Kaho with a small smile, "I have. You?"

She smiled back at him, "I have been better, but it was nice seeing you again Touya."

"Yea, same here." And Touya found that he meant it.

XXX

I gathered from the reviews that the last chapter was a little bit of a shock, again I apologise for springing it on you guys like that. A little bit of TxN moments in this chapter because I'm actually quite a fan of them. (: The next few chapters to come will soon put everything in perspective I hope, I personally feel that those chapters were the better written ones in this story.

A review would be oh so nice!


	8. And Eriol Says Goodbye

Touya mulled over the strange afternoon as he made his way back home. Something was wrong, but he wasn't to discuss it with Sakura. Clutching his umbrella, he spotted a familiar amber eyed boy across the road. And before he could change his mind, he quickly ran over to him.

"Gaki!"

His head snapped up and Touya noted with satisfaction that his jaw seemed to be a little bruised. Hah, he wondered who managed to inflict some sort of pain on the brat.

"What?" Syaoran snapped at him.

Touya rolled his eyes, "Aizuki fainted today."

Syaoran snorted, "Yea right, probably one of her plots to get you to do some mouth to mouth on her, you know she can't faint."

Touya just stared blankly at Syaoran, a little peeved that the one person he decided to talk to didn't believe him. Then Syaoran started to look a little panicky. He realised that Sakura had never told him if Touya knew about the guardians and Eriol and magic, he had simply assumed that with Yukito's and Touya's close relationship, Touya would have figured it out.

"Er, you know about the," Syaoran looked around them to check to see if they were completely alone, "the thing about Aizuki and Yukito-san right?"

Touya narrowed his eyes impatiently, "Yes, I do. Why would I bother telling you this if I didn't find it strange?"

"Oh," Syaoran felt a little silly. Then started to contemplate.

Touya, satisfied that his work was done, cuffed Syaoran slightly behind his head (because really, an encounter with the brat must include some sort of physical and verbal abuse), and walked a few steps before remembering to add, "Don't tell Sakura." He fixed Syaoran with a meaningful look before crossing the road to the other side.

XXX

Eriol turned the corner and saw Syaoran standing on his lawn. He walked hesitantly toward him, wondering if he would be able to creep by unnoticed, he wasn't really in the mood for another fight. But Syaoran was a trained martial artist and possessed some magic, so it was no surprise he sensed Eriol's presence. When Syaoran turned towards him, Eriol saw a bruise forming on his lower jaw and winced inwardly. He hadn't meant to hit him so hard, Syaoran he realised had been merciful, because after the fight, Eriol had been battered but not broken. And Li Syaoran was entirely capable of breaking every single bone in his body. That much, Eriol knew.

As Syaoran approached him, Eriol opened his mouth to speak, but Syaoran cut him off, "Something's wrong with you."

Once again, it was a statement, not a question. Eriol fidgeted slightly in his shoes, "Nothing is wrong with me."

"Aizuki fainted, Touya told me." Syaoran informed him shortly, then he looked him straight in the eye and asked, "Is this the reason why you wouldn't admit you love Tomoyo?"

Eriol recognised the conviction in Syaoran's tone. The same conviction that led him to defy his clan and family to return to Sakura and the same conviction that told Eriol that he was not leaving without a proper explanation. He chuckled a little to himself, why the fates must be laughing down at him! "Now Syaoran, I can't believe I'm actually going to tell you my secret. You, out of all people." Eriol paused as he tried to stifle a laughing fit, "You, the one person in the whole town who hates my guts." He found it all rather ironic.

Syaoran protested, "Touya hates your guts too."

Eriol laughed again, "Well I suppose you're right."

Syaoran observed Eriol carefully, then said, "I'll know if you're lying."

"I know," Eriol replied, then let out a huge sigh, "It's a dreadfully boring story but to cut it short, the gist is that I'm going to die and Kaho has seen it in her premonitions."

Syaoran's eyes widened. "You're Clow Reed's reincarnation!" As if that explained everything.

Eriol raised his eyebrows, "Yes, he may have been the most powerful magician in the world, but even his reincarnations don't live forever. Sakura's father isn't going to live forever you know."

Syaoran continued to sputter, "B-but…" This was not what he expected to hear.

"And besides," Eriol added lightly, "I'm not even Clow's reincarnation."

Syaoran seemed to recover enough to say, "Of course you are!"

Eriol smiled ruefully, "Didn't you ever wonder how one man could have two reincarnations?"

Syaoran's silence indicated that he had because he started to look pensive, "But if you aren't his reincarnation, then who are you?"

"I think the correct question is _what_ am I?" Eriol replied, adjusting his glasses, "I am merely the product of Clow's powers and memories, which would explain why Kinomoto-sensei has none of those. I was created solely to help Sakura along and guide her until she could handle her powers. I am no more human than Ruby Moon or Spinel Sun. When my job is done, I would cease to exist. Because even the most powerful magician in the world cannot sustain his magic forever, especially beyond the grave."

Eriol saw Syaoran's fist flex and he considered briefly the prospect of Syaoran punching him. He felt his eyes squeeze shut in a reflex action but quickly opened them again when he heard the sound of Syaoran's fist making contact with something other than his face. It seemed Syaoran had punched the tree they were presently standing under instead and the force had caused much of the leaves to fall. Eriol flicked a few out of his hair and off his shoulders, thankful that Syaoran hadn't used the same force on his jaw. He looked over at his descendant (no wait, he couldn't call him that anymore) and heard him mutter some obscenities about Clow under his breath.

Then Syaoran stalked up to him and he couldn't help but retreat a few steps back. "You will take my powers."

For a moment, Eriol was stumped. "What?"

"Take them, Touya did the same with Yue, and he didn't disappear." Syaoran elaborated.

Eriol smiled, despite the situation, "I'm afraid your powers would not be enough to sustain me for long Syaoran. However, the offer and sentiment is much appreciated."

Syaoran scowled, "Stupid Clow and his schemes and twisted mind." Then he stopped and bit his lip, contemplating how best to go about his next question. Eriol anticipated it though.

"No, Sakura cannot give her powers up to me because we need someone to control the cards. I am touched you are even considering that though because we all know how important Sakura is to you."

Syaoran let out a groan of frustration and vented his anger on the nearest tree. Eriol winced as he watched Syaoran deliver some incredibly well executed punches and kicks on his prized apple tree. When Syaoran had let off enough steam, he turned to Eriol, "So you're going to be noble and not tell Tomoyo because you know she will be heartbroken when you die."

"Yes." Eriol nodded.

"That's stupid." Kick.

"You would have done the same."

Punch. "I know."

"You can't tell Sakura either." Eriol said, "You know she can't keep secrets, much less from her best friend."

Syaoran sighed, "I figured. Touya told me not to tell Sakura either."

Eriol nodded and let a few moments of silence pass between them. He shrugged and said, "Actually, I'm glad I told you. I feel a little better."

Syaoran glared at the unfortunate tree and asked, "How long more do you think you have?"

Eriol considered answering for the tree (which would not be long) but deciding that he wasn't in the mood to annoy Syaoran, stated quite matter of factly, "Ruby Moon has fainted a couple of time already, and Spinel can't return to his true form, so I'm guessing, not too long."

Syaoran furrowed his brows in contemplation then finally turned to him and said very seriously, "You know that she loves you too right?"

Eriol swallowed, "I hoped so, yes." He felt his throat clench up, but the last thing he wanted was for Syaoran to see him cry. He brooded over the injustice of it all. When he had finally confirmed her feelings (for he considered Syaoran an extremely reliable source), it seemed that he would have to bury his.

Syaoran breathed out slowly, as if doing some sort of meditation exercise, "You are a good person, better than Clow ever could be."

Eriol smiled ruefully, "Thank you Syaoran, I believe that will be the nicest thing anyone will say to me."

Syaoran nodded, and made to leave, slightly shaken from the quick turn of events. Then as if remembering something, he turned back and called out, "Eriol!"

Eriol who had started to make his way into the house turned back to look at Syaoran, surprised because it was the first time Syaoran had called him by his name. No Hiiragizawa, four-eyes or twisted ancestor. He actually called Eriol by his name. He wondered briefly if he was going to die very soon because the heavens were answering all his unanswered prayers.

"I don't hate your guts," Syaoran said so softly that Eriol had to strain his ears to hear him, "just thought you should know that." Then he inclined his head, the biggest show of respect Eriol was going to expect from him and turned quickly down the pathway, out of the gates.

Eriol was left on his porch, "My, my, my." Lifting his eyes up to the sky, he whispered his thanks and let the winds carry it up to the heavens.

XXX

Word that Kaho Mizuki was back in Japan and living with Eriol soon spread to Sakura. She was extremely disappointed, although at the same time she felt happy that they had worked things out. It was a little complicated being Sakura sometimes, because being the sweet, kind person she was, she always managed to see the good side in things. Thus, even as she was sad that Tomoyo-chan missed a chance at happiness again, she was happy that Eriol and Kaho had found theirs. Sakura tried her best to hide this new piece of information from Tomoyo but Tomoeda was a small town, and word always got around.

Tomoyo found Eriol one day by the little park near their house, the place they had their first 'date'.

"I heard Mizuki-sensei is back." She offered in greeting, putting on a brave smile.

"Yes," Eriol nodded, did Tomoyo know that he had wanted her to come find him there?

"Are you moving back to England then?" She asked him, although she knew his answer before he replied.

"Yes."

She didn't remember who said it first.

They observed as a butterfly fluttered past them and Eriol said suddenly, "I have this irrational fear of moths."

Despite herself, she giggled. "That was very random Eriol-kun. Why did you tell me that?"

He turned to face, "With that piece of information, you now know every thing about me." _(Except for the fact that I'm going to die, but that isn't important.)_

Tomoyo smiled sadly, "Do I?"

Eriol nodded, then continued, "We're leaving tomorrow."

"That's so soon!" Tomoyo exclaimed, with a little more emotion than she intended.

Eriol pretended not to notice the dismay in her voice.

"I'm sorry, I meant to stay longer, but you know how things are sometimes…" Eriol trailed off.

She fingered the pocket watch in her pocket, would it give her another extra hour this time as well? Embarrassed that she had nearly betrayed what she was feeling, Tomoyo shook her head, "Oh no, don't say that. I was just a little surprised that's all. I mean, it's not like we're never ever going to see each other again right?"

He swallowed his tears, "Right."

She rambled on, "You can come back to visit with Mizuki-sensei or I could go always go over with Sakura and Syaoran right?"

Eriol smiled a little forlornly, "Right." He was thankful Tomoyo was too busy trying to hide her emotions to notice his wretched, tormented gaze. Clearing his throat he held out his pinky, "Let's promise to be happy Tomoyo-san."

Tomoyo looked at his pinky and desperately blinked back tears, "Is the person you love, in love with you too?"

Eriol thought he would stop breathing then but he gave her a heartbreaking smile, "Yes, she is."

"Then I'm happy for you." And she linked their pinkys.

That will be the last time she saw Eriol Hiirazigawa. He never returned to Japan, and she never received an invitation to visit. She did however receive cards every year, one for her birthday and another on Christmas. They were always signed at the bottom, his name in a flamboyant flourish, next to Nakuru's girlish scrawl and above Spinel's pawprint. There was also one more, always on the bottom right hand of the card. She would recognise Mizuki-sensei's neat script anywhere. Sometimes on days when she was feeling particularly silly and selfish, she would place her fingers over the bottom right corner of the card and imagine that it had just been the 3 of them sending her their greetings.

XXX

"_Hello beautiful, what are you doing?"_

_She looks up at him and returns to rearranging her cards. _

"_I'm looking through my cards, aren't they pretty?"_

"_Yes, very much so."_

_He picks one off the table and scrutinises the three signatures. Funny, he doesn't remember sending these. Ruby Moon and Spinel must have forged his signature on them. He admits though, that it is a pretty good forgery. He loses his train of thought because she holds his hand and says very earnestly,_

"_They made me very happy, thank you." _

XXX

The story is coming to its end. I'm actually kinda sad. :( Review and cheer me up! Love to you all!


	9. And Their Story Comes to an End

First of all, how can I start to apologise for taking so long with this last chapter? But I really wanted this story to end well, so I took some time polishing it up! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and urged me to post this last one. Also, the last scene for the story echos the last scene of the first chapter, so I would suggest refreshing your memory if you can't quite remember. I had a wonderful time with this story and I hope you did too. (: My apologies once again.

XXX

Kaho would breathe a sigh a relief every time Eriol awoke from one of his dreams. But he always looked so lost and disappointed when he woke up that she sometimes half wished that he could stay in his dreams forever. At least there, he was happy.

Seating almost perpetually by his bedside, she busied herself with pouring him water, adjusting his pillows and rearranging his photo frames on his bedside table. Eriol had too many photos, Kaho sometimes thought. His bedside table had space for little else. But she never complained, because at least continuously rearranging his photo frames gave her something to do while Eriol was drifting back into unconsciousness, even if she always had to make sure his photos with Tomoyo occupied the place of honour, nearest to the bed where he could see them easily.

"Kaho, can you make sure to send Tomoyo a card for her birthday, every year if possible?" He asked from under his covers.

"Of course Eriol." She answered him.

"And one on Christmas as well?"

"Of course Eriol."

"Don't forget to sign for Ruby Moon and Spinel."

"I won't."

And he drifted off to sleep again.

_He is looking through photo albums with her. As he turns the page, she provides a colourful narrative of everything that had happened when the photo was taken. Most of the photos were of children. He doesn't know them, although he recognises their parents in their faces. As he surveys a photo of the scowling kid, he remembers the father and mother, and wishes he could have been there._

"_What happened to yours?"_

_She looked up from the album, a quizzical expression on her face, "I never had kids silly."_

"_Why not?"_

_He knows why. But he wants to hear her say it._

"_Because you weren't there to have them with me."_

XXX

"Kaho?"

"Yes Eriol?"

"Where's Ruby Moon and Spinel?"

Kaho smiled sadly back at him, and he remembered he had asked the same question before. He also remembered her answer although he wished he hadn't.

In an effort to distract him, Kaho said, "Li Syaoran called again today. To check up on you I'm assuming, because I don't see why he would call me just to ask about the weather in England."

Eriol chuckled with much effort, "Yes, he really is just a big old teddy bear under all that defend one's honour nonsense."

Kaho's eyes crinkled as she recalled their conversation, "He said he was going to propose to Sakura soon."

Eriol beamed, "Really?"

Kaho nodded, smiling as well, "I think he wanted to get your blessing."

Eriol laughed, and Kaho's body tingled because she hadn't heard him do so in a while, "Syaoran would never do something like ask for my blessing. Anyway, I've already given it long ago."

"I suppose you're right," Kaho continued, "Apparently Tomoyo is helping him plan some extravagant romantic cruise to the Fiji Islands."

Eriol smiled fondly, "Yes, Tomoyo-chan has always had a flair for these sort of festivities."

And Kaho watched as Eriol got lost in his memories.

XXX

Eriol had requested for his window to be open, despite the chilling winds that sometimes blew in England.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Eriol?" Kaho asked worriedly, "You know your constitution has been pretty poor lately."

"Oh come on Kaho," Eriol whispered, looking out his window, "Don't deny the poor man what little pleasure he has left."

Kaho sighed, but gave in. She always did with Eriol. "Fine, I'll go get an extra blanket though, and you will use it." A note of finality in her voice.

"I will." He agreed, then as she was leaving the room, she heard him say, "Thank you Kaho." And she knew Eriol was not talking about the blanket.

He watched her leave and thought he should have said sorry as well. Because he couldn't love her like she deserved, and because she had to sit there watching him fade away, pining for someone else. He noticed a moth fly in through his open window and land on his lamp.

"Hello there," he whispered to it and Eriol contemplated why he thought them scary in the first place.

"I wonder," he said aloud to the room, "how she's doing right now," the image of a raven haired beauty flash across his mind and he closed his eyes, content for it to be the final thing he thought about as he fell asleep for the last time.

_He finds himself waking up and recognising the familiar crack in the ceiling. The sounds of pots and pans clanging downstairs in the kitchen and shrieks of 'sugar!' and 'murder!' alert him to the fact that he might be needed to settle another brawl soon. His door swings open and she walks in, a plate piled high with pancakes._

"_Hello beautiful."_

_She smiles in reply and announces, "Pancakes!" _

_He laughs as she crawls under the covers with him and perches the stack of pancakes precariously on a pile of books, creating some sort of improvised table. _

"_Eat!"_

_She forcefully stuffs a pancake into his mouth and laughs gleefully at his expression._

"_Good?"_

_He nods, then swallows. _

"_Care to give me more than one word sentences?"_

_Her smile is radiant. Her eyes, soft._

"_Promise you won't ever leave me again."_

_He pulls her closer, "I promise."_

_And they hook pinkys. _

Tomoyo woke up, half expecting to find pancakes at the foot of her bed. It seemed so real, her dream. She held a hand to her face, and realised she had been crying. Finding her pocket watch, she saw that she had only a while more to sunrise so she slipped out of bed and into her kitchen. She pulled out the flour and sugar and tried to remember if they had enough chocolate in the house for a chocolate cake.

XXX

_Oh look, it's Tomoyo Daidouji!_

_Alone? That's strange._

_I know, didn't she get together with that Hiiragizawa guy? You know, English, tall and handsome?_

_Don't think so, I heard he went back to England._

_What, really? But the two of them would have made such a perfect couple._

_I know right, they would have totally given Kinomoto and Li a run for their money._

High school reunions were spent more or less in the same fashion. Tomoyo Daidouji was still beautiful, rich and successful but she never got married. She dated, mostly to keep her mother and friends happy but never got serious with anybody. She protested to Sakura and Syaoran that she didn't need anyone else with them around, and their children kept her hands full most of the time, she really saw no need to have any of her own.

"I wish Tomoyo would find someone, she looks so lonely sometimes." Sakura would often remark to her husband.

And his reply always was, "She already did."

Although his name was never mentioned, Syaoran and Sakura knew who they both were talking about and Syaoran frequently wondered if Sakura knew more than she let on about Eriol's predicament. His Sakura was dense, that was a well known fact, but she was one of the most powerful magicians in the world after all. The couple took care not to bring up their old friend too much, especially in front of Tomoyo although Sakura and Syaoran suspected he always lingered on in her memories.

Finally, after many, many years, when her once raven hair had all turned to white and when her once flawless face registered many wrinkles, her beloved nieces and nephews found that they couldn't wake her. She still looked beautiful though, as she clutched onto a pocket watch that had long since stopped ticking.

_Tomoyo finds herself wandering the hallways of a once familiar looking house. She doesn't remember how she got here. She looks down at her hands and finds them like they were when she was 18, soft and pale. She hears a fire crackling and sees soft orange light streaming out from under the doors of one of the rooms. Feeling her heartbeat increase with every step, she leans slightly on the door, and watches as it creaks open. She steps timidly into the room and freezes as she sees a familiar face._

_He smiles at her._

"_Hello beautiful, welcome home."_

_She beams at him and runs the short distance separating them, basically hurling herself at the man that have been occupying her thoughts for far too long. He chuckles in that deep mesmerising baritone voice of his and asks in a mock serious voice, "What took you so long?"_

_The pocket watch in her nightgown pocket starts ticking again._

XXX

_fin._

_Thank you for reading, it's been awesome. And look, a happy ending!  
_


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